Next Generation
Psalm 78:1-7[1]
There was a time when “new and improved” was
the marketing slogan that would move products off the shelf. Of course, over
time, it got used so much that we began to ignore it altogether. “New and
improved” was just a part of the packaging. Different times bring different
slogans. For a while “Next Generation” was the ticket for selling a new
product. I’m not sure many of us even knew what “next generation” meant, but it
seemed to convince us that we needed to “upgrade”—or at least it made us want
to! I think we’re already getting to the point where “next generation” is
losing its punch. There have been too many “next generation” devices that just
didn’t perform well enough to justify the expense!
One arena in which “next generation” still
seems to have some selling power is in the church. In fact, there is focus
group of Presbyterians calling themselves “NEXT church” that has been working to
to promote church renewal since 2010. Their goal is to answer the questions, “What’s
next for the church? What’s the spirit calling us to? How do we be the church
of Jesus Christ in the 21st century?”[2] It
would seem that there are enough people trying to find answers to those
questions that there is sustained interest in what NEXT Church might offer.
Our lesson from the Psalms for today addresses
this question quite explicitly. In fact, the practice of teaching the “wonders”
God has done to the next generation is something that the psalmist recalls as a
command to be obeyed. The purpose of this command is fairly straightforward: “so
that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but
keep his commandments” (Ps. 78:7). In this context, it would seem that the
answer to the questions posed by various renewal groups is clear: if you want
the next generation of the church to thrive, make sure to keep telling the
story of what God has done. And do it in a way that is compelling so that they
will “set their hope in God.”
Unfortunately, if we were to read the rest of
the Psalm, we would hear from Israel’s history that telling the story of God’s
wonders doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the next generation will actually
“set their hope in God.” In fact, time after time, those who actually witnessed
firsthand God’s “wonders” turned away from faith. The psalmist says that they
“forgot” what God had done (Ps. 78:11). They “had no faith in God, and did not
trust his saving power” (78:22). Perhaps the psalmist gets to the heart of the
problem by pointing out that “their heart was not steadfast toward him; they
were not true to his covenant” (78:37). It is a sobering reminder that even
those who witness God’s wonders may not “set their hope in God.” And it is a
reminder that even the faithful retelling of God’s story does not guarantee
that future generations will put their trust in God.[3]
In spite of a history of unbelief on the part
of Israel, generations later, the psalmist continues the tradition of telling
the story of God’s saving wonders so that future generations would trust in
God. In fact, he envisions the effect of telling the story not only on the
children of the present day. He believes that each generation has to the
responsibility to recount God’s wonders “that the next generation might know
them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children”
(78:6). It seems clear that that faithfully telling the story would affect a
generation not yet born. And beyond that, continuing to tell the story would
lead that future generation to pass it on to their children. Even though the
psalmist is well aware that not all will embrace the story of God’s wonders
with faith, he continues to tell the story nevertheless.
It seems to me that as each generation of the
people of God faces new challenges and seeks new ways to be faithful to the
gospel, this never changes. Telling the story of God’s saving wonders always
has been and always will be vital to the life of the church.[4]
While I remain interested in the ideas generated by movements like NEXT church
as much as anyone else, I believe that a foundational part of the answer to the
question of how we are to be the church of Jesus Christ in the 21st
century must include a commitment to telling the story of God’s wonders to
coming generations.
As I mentioned last week, I would say if you
are searching for a reason to motivate you to contribute to the work of Hickman
Presbyterian Church, this is another place to start. While on the one hand I
think we must entrust our children to God’s grace and love, we support the work
of the church with our tithes, our time, and our talents to ensure that we are
doing everything we possibly can to lead them to “set their hope in God.” We
offer our service, our faithfulness, our telling of the story, as well as our
contributions in order to plant the seeds of faith in the next generation.
[1]
©2017 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered
by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 11/12/2017 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman,
NE.
[2]
Gregg Brekke, “What’s next for NEXT Church?” Presbyterian News Service,
September 9, 2016. Accessed at https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/whats-next-next-church/
.
[3]
Cf. J. Clinton McCann, Jr., “The Book of Psalms,” New Interpreters Bible IV:993.
[4]
Cf. James L. Mays, Psalms, 256:
“remembering and telling are essential to the existence of the people of God.”
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